National Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the varied cultures, traditions and contributions of Hispanics in the United States.
Hispanic Folktales : An Annotated Bibliography Compiled by: Shavon McNeary
The U.S. Census Bureau defines “Hispanic or Latino” as referring to “a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race.” The term “Hispanic” comprises a very large and diverse collection of people who share a common language and colonial history. However, differences in native populations, slave trades and immigration patterns give the various regions and countries of Hispanoamerica their own flair. For example, Caribbean Hispanic America (countries south as Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic) has a strong African culture while countries such as Mexico have a strong indigenous (Mayan) cultural presence.
Still some “folkloric figures” are common throughout the Hispanic culture. One of them, the trickster Pedro, is common from “New Mexico to Chile, and in Spain and Portugal where he is known as Pedro de Malas-Artes" (Bierhorst 2002). The U.S. Census Bureau lists the largest Hispanic American groups as hailing from three main places; Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Cuba.
Growing up outside of New York Puerto Rican culture was a strong part of the regional identity. (I don't understand your first sentence. Do you have Puerto Rican ancestry?) 8 years of Spanish taught by an Argentine woman, and a few years in the South where Mexican culture is prevalent emphasized the diverse nature of Hispanic culture. In honor of the diversity I chose to focus on Hispanic culture in general, not just Puerto Rican stories so that I could sample the richness of the Latino people.
I have decided to retell "Juan Verdades," set instead in Puerto Rico, as this story captures many of the social traditions common throughout Hispanic countries. Originally from Spain, this story has made its way to Latin America. Though it is not as popular or familiar as some of the others on this list, its common themes, characters and symbolism lend themselves well to being adapted to many Hispanic countries. The new story will be called "Honrado the Vaquero".
Hayes, Joe, and Joseph D. Fiedler. Juan Verdades. New York: Orchard Books, 2001. Print. $16.95 ISBN (9780439293112) Juan Verdades, The Man Who Couldn’t Tell a Lie is a Spanish folktale retold by Joe Hayes and illustrated by Joseph Daniel Fiedler. In this story Juan, a man known for his honesty, is tested by his employer with a prosperous ranch on the line. Seduced by the employer’s daughter (whom he had fallen in love with) into doing the wrong thing, Juan remains truthful and is rewarded greatly.
The story and illustrations take place in the American Southwest, a place with great Hispanic cultural heritage. The lush paintings skillfully capture the Hispanic culture and region from the Pueblo (adobe?) homes to the costumes and décor of the homes and the people.
In the author’s notes Hayes shows where he made changes from the original tale (namely the personality of the daughter). He also lists his sources for the tale, a collection of folktales from Spain by Aurelio Espinosa called Cuentos Populares Españoles, and a compilation of folktales from New Mexico by Juan Rael called Cuentos Españoles de Colorado y Nuevo México. He also notes that the story has been found in compilations on (of) Latin American folktales.
Joe Hayes has won numerous awards for his work. His familiarity with and love of Hispanic culture in addition to his skills in storytelling come through in Juan Verdades. The story is told very well and is filled with rich details and clever wording. The story is peppered with Spanish words that add to the authenticity of the work. A pronunciation dictionary is not provided, so non-native speakers might want to do some research before attempting to perform the tale out loud. Still the story is a great introduction to Hispanic culture and one with a good moral; that honesty and cleverness are virtues to aim for and will be rewarded.
González, Lucía M, and Lulu Delacre. The Bossy Gallito =: El Gallo De Bodas ; a Traditional Cuban Folktale. New York: Scholastic Inc, 1994. Print. $14.95 ISBN (9780439067577) The Bossy Gallito is a clever retelling of a popular Hispanic folktale by Lucía M. González. In this story, similar to the English nursery rhyme “The Old Woman and her Pig,” the rooster attempts to bully a series of animals into eventually cleaning his beak. A quick search on google.es for gallo kiriko, gallo quirico, or el gallo de boda, yields many retellings of this clever tale. Though the animals in the retellings may change (a sheep, dog, or worm instead of the ones used in González’s story) the general story is the same. It begins with Rooster on his way to his Uncle Parakeet’s wedding. He goes to eat a (bean, corn, etc) and gets his beak dirty. He then tries to make Grass clean his beak. Grass refuses. In The Bossy Gallito he then tells Goat to eat Grass, Stick to hit Goat, Fire to burn Stick, Water to quench Fire, then at the end asks Sun politely to dry up Water. The story is then turned around at which time all of the characters succumb to the Rooster’s wishes (Water quenches Fire, Fire burns stick, etc.) until the Rooster’s beak ends up clean. The lesson learned is that one should ask nicely to get what they want.
The story is a lot of fun and children should enjoy the repetitions. This is a bilingual text, both the English and the Spanish written by González. As the notes in the back emphasize, great detail went into the illustrations. The art is full of nuances that create a sense of Cuban authenticity, such as the birds playing dominos while wearing fedoras, the flamingos at the outdoor market, the palm trees and the street lights. The illustrator also notes that great care went into insuring (ensuring) the birds drawn in the work were native to the area. The illustrator, Lulu Delacre, took numerous photos of the Little Havana area of Miami to enhance the cultural authenticity of the art and based all of the illustrations on those images.
The author, Lucía M. González, is of Cuban origin and in her notes states this adaptation of the story is one that was told to her growing up and one that most Cuban children are familiar with. A storyteller, children’s librarian, and performer, González is also an award-winning author. In fact, The Bossy Rooster won the Pura Belpré Children’s Literature Honor Medal and was one of the New York Times top 20 All Time Favorite Children’s Book. This story is wonderfully authentic and a very enjoyable read for children and adults of all cultures.
Ehlert, Lois, and Gloria Andújar. Cuckoo: A Mexican Folktale = Cucú : Un Cuento Folklórico Mexicano. San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1997. Print. $16.00. ISBN (9780152002749)
Lois Ehlert retells the Mexican legend of the cuckoo bird in this colorful work aptly named Cuckoo. In this story vain Cuckoo, universally disliked for her lazy and narcissistic ways, shows she has a big heart and saves the day in the end. The lesson we learn is that one shouldn’t “judge a bird by its feathers.”
This English and Spanish bilingual text is very simple and easy for children to follow. The plot is very comprehensible and the lesson learned direct, making it a great tale for younger children. Ehlert’s collage illustrations are bright with an indigenous feel to them, very reminiscent of Mexico. On the book jacket Ehlert says the art was inspired by crafts and folk art from the country.
At the end of the book Ehlert notes that the story is originally a Mayan Indian tale. Her source comes from Latin American Tales from the Pampas to the Pyramids of Mexico by Genevieve Barlow. The English text in the book was translated into Spanish by Gloria de Aragón Andújar. Ehlert also offers thanks to many museums in the Wisconsin area that helped her gather research on Mexican folk art.
Though not of Hispanic origin Ehlert is an award winning author and illustrator who has done extensive research in order to create an authentic visual presence to go along with the retelling of this Mayan folktale. The Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP) at the University of Wisconsin Madison calls the illustrations “culturally authentic” and the story a “very well told folktale”. The story is engaging, the collage illustrations colorful, and overall this is an enjoyable book.
Brusca, María C, and Tõna Wilson.Pedro Fools the Gringo and Other Tales of a Latin American Trickster. New York, N.Y: Henry Holt and Co, 1995. Print. $14.95 ISBN (9780805038279)
Pedro Fools the Gringo and Other Tales of a Latin American Trickster is a collection of tales starring the popular Hispanic folktale anti-hero Pedro the Trickster. After the author’s introduction it begins with the story “Clever Little Pedro” which tells of the origins of Pedro and gives some examples of his cleverness. It is full with (of) Latin American references as the story takes place in Mexico where Pedro comes under the care of a Priest who decides to give Pedro an education in exchange for being his servant. Spanish jokes, references to Mexican food, plants and even social and political culture can all be gleaned from this three-page tale. As with the other stories the chapter begins with a small illustration by Tona Wilson and has a full page pencil drawing of a scene from the story.
The stories are very short and very conducive to oral storytelling. They are easy to remember and have simple sentences. Those completely unfamiliar with the Spanish language may have to do some research on how to pronounce words such as “asado” and “ay”. The stories are also meant to be read in sequential order so some minor modification might be necessary if the storyteller wishes to choose an individual story from the collection to perform.
The illustrations, while expressive, don’t add much to the story. Given the fairly small size of the book it is unlikely the art was meant to add depth to a storytelling performance but was instead used to break up the chapters. Brusca is a skilled artist in her own right and may wish to re-release these stories as individual books with her own illustrations.
Maria Cristina Brusca was born and raised in Argentina. She is the author and illustrator of numerous works. She has coauthored other works with Tona Wilson, who is an ESL teacher and the illustrator for this book. For Pedro Fools the Gringo Brusca consulted many sources and has listed the origins of each folktale and her bibliography at the end of the book. In the introduction she notes that Pedro appears in numerous Hispanic countries and shows the commonalities the stories share: Pedro tricks the wealthy and powerful (being Priests, Landowners or Gringos in the case of the Latin American tales), political leaders are mocked, etc. In this collection she compiled Pedro tales from various countries not limited to Mexico, Argentina, Guatemala and Spain. Similar to other trickster tales, Pedro uses his cleverness to get over on others. However in these stories Pedro is very much the hero as those he tricks are often corrupt and dishonest.
Large Cover Image
Deedy, Carmen A, and Michael Austin. Martina, the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree, 2007. Print. $16.95 (ISBN 9781561453993) “La Cucarachita Martínez y Ratón Perez” is a story common throughout Latin America; a simple search in google.es will yield many retellings. In the folktale a beautiful cockroach challenges many suitors before deciding to marry a humble mouse. At the end of the traditional folktale the mouse falls into a pot and dies, leaving the cockroach sad for the remainder of her life; and this is why cockroaches cry.
In Carmen Agra Deedy’s retelling of the tale, Martina the Beautiful Cockroach, the charm of the traditional tale is kept and the story rendered more humorous and uplifting. The story is beautifully done with clever and fun repetition, a lively Cuban grandmother, and a much better reason for why cockroaches go “ti-ki-tin, ti-ki, tan.”
The art by Michael Austin is absolutely stunning; flowers, buildings and costumes provide a lush sense of old Cuba. The characters’ expressions and actions are drawn so fluidly one cannot help but to become utterly engrossed, laughing along even as we feel poor Martina’s angst. Peppered with Spanish names, phrases and animal sounds, the story feels very authentic as Martina is anthropomorphized; small details here and there give the sense that she is a very real Cuban girl. There are many lessons in this story that are important to Hispanic culture such as listening to your elders, the importance of kindness over beauty, and substance over style and flash.
Born in Havana Cuba, Carmen Agra Deedy is a renowned winning author of numerous children’s books. An award winning storyteller, she appeared often on NPR radio discussing her live (life) growing up Cuban in the United States. Her love of Cuba shines throughout this story, imbuing the story with an undeniable Cuban authenticity.
Large Cover Image
Campoy, F I, Alma F. Ada, and Felipe Dávalos. Tales Our Abuelitas Told: A Hispanic Folktale Collection. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2006. Print. $19.95 (9780689825835) Tales our Abuelitas Told is a collection of Hispanic folktales retold by F. Isabel Campoy and Alma Flor Ada. Stories include “The Bird of One Thousand Colors”, a colorful tale about the origins of the Peacock, and many others. After each tale both Ada and Campoy provide notes on the origins and source of the tales, though many of them are as stated “tales their grandmothers’ told” and as such are just part of a larger Hispanic oral tradition.
The stories in the book are simply told with a lot of expressive detail. They are short and easy for early readers to follow and also lend themselves very well to being spoken out loud. Each story is accompanied by beautiful colorful artwork created by one of four illustrators. The styles of the art vary giving each story a special touch. The artists are all of Hispanic origin and their appreciation to their culture shows in the illustrations.
Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy are also of Hispanic origin. Ada grew up in Cuba amongst a family of storytellers. She has done extensive work in the fields of social justice, Hispanic studies and bilingual education as a Professor of the University of San Francisco, a Radcliffe Scholar at Harvard, and a Fulbright Scholar. Tales Our Abuelitas Told is one many books on Hispanic folktales that she has authored.
F. Isabel Campoy is also a renowned scholar on Hispanic culture. Originally from Spain she later did post graduate work at Reading University in England and at UCLA in the United States after completing her degree at the Universidad Complutense in Madrid, Spain. She has authorized (authored) numerous children’s books in addition to scholarly texts.
This work takes extreme care to maintain a level of authenticity, despite being written in English. The authors offer traditional Spanish phrases used in storytelling to begin and end a story, such as “había una vez, or “once upon a time” and “y el cuento se acabó; cuando lo vuelva a encontrar, lo volveré a contar” or “and so the story ends; if I find the words that rhyme, I will tell it one more time”. The characters names and the locations of the stories are all part of the Hispanic diaspora, and Spanish words and phrases are peppered throughout the stories such as “buenas tardes” or “Señor Gato”. There is just enough to keep the cultural authenticity without making it difficult for non-native Spanish storyteller to recount. For those who would like to tell these stories in Spanish there is also a Spanish language edition called Cuentos que Contaban Nuestras Abuelas $12.99 ISBN 978-1416939658.
Works Cited
“1997 Américas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature.” Center for Latin and Caribbean Studies. University of Wisconsin-Madison. N.d. Web. 6 April 2013. <http://www4.uwm.edu/clacs/aa/list/amer97.cfm>
Works Consulted Buckley, Barbara. "Juan Verdades: The Man Who Couldn't Tell a Lie." School Library Journal 47.12 (2001): 122-3. ProQuest.Web. 1 Apr. 2013.
Del Negro, Janice. "Martina the Beautiful Cockroach."The Booklist 104.3 (2007): 61-2. ProQuest. Web. 6 Apr. 2013.
"Folklore - Pedro Fools the Gringo and Other Tales of a Latin." The Horn Book Magazine 72.1 (1996): 80-. ProQuest. Web. 1 Apr. 2013.
"Folklore - the Bossy Gallito: A Traditional Cuban Folk Tale." The Horn Book Magazine 70.5 (1994): 602-. ProQuest. Web. 6 Apr. 2013.
Knoth, Maeve Visser. “Folklore -- Pedro Fools the Gringo and Other Tales of a Latin American Trickster.” The Horn Book Magazine 72, (1): 80-80, ProQuest. Web. 1 April 2013.
Martin, Jorge Hernandez. “In the Language of Children -- Vejigante/Masquerader Written and Illustrated by Lulu Delacre / El Gallo de Bodas/The Bossy Gallito: A Traditional Cuban Folktale Retold by Lucia M. Gonzalez and Illustrated by Lulu Delacre.”Americas 46, (6): 63-63, ProQuest. Web. 3 April. 2013.
Morrison, Hope. "Tales our Abuelitas Told: A Hispanic Folktale Collection."Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 60.7 (2007): 282-. ProQuest. Web. 6 Apr. 2013.
Rosenfeld, Shelle. “Juan verdades: The Man Who Couldn't Tell a Lie.”The Booklist 98, (7) (Dec 01): 646-646, ProQuest. Web. 2 April 2013.
Compiled by: Shavon McNeary
The U.S. Census Bureau defines “Hispanic or Latino” as referring to “a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race.” The term “Hispanic” comprises a very large and diverse collection of people who share a common language and colonial history. However, differences in native populations, slave trades and immigration patterns give the various regions and countries of Hispanoamerica their own flair. For example, Caribbean Hispanic America (countries south as Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic) has a strong African culture while countries such as Mexico have a strong indigenous (Mayan) cultural presence.
Still some “folkloric figures” are common throughout the Hispanic culture. One of them, the trickster Pedro, is common from “New Mexico to Chile, and in Spain and Portugal where he is known as Pedro de Malas-Artes" (Bierhorst 2002). The U.S. Census Bureau lists the largest Hispanic American groups as hailing from three main places; Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Cuba.
Growing up outside of New York Puerto Rican culture was a strong part of the regional identity. (I don't understand your first sentence. Do you have Puerto Rican ancestry?) 8 years of Spanish taught by an Argentine woman, and a few years in the South where Mexican culture is prevalent emphasized the diverse nature of Hispanic culture. In honor of the diversity I chose to focus on Hispanic culture in general, not just Puerto Rican stories so that I could sample the richness of the Latino people.
I have decided to retell "Juan Verdades," set instead in Puerto Rico, as this story captures many of the social traditions common throughout Hispanic countries. Originally from Spain, this story has made its way to Latin America. Though it is not as popular or familiar as some of the others on this list, its common themes, characters and symbolism lend themselves well to being adapted to many Hispanic countries. The new story will be called "Honrado the Vaquero".
Juan Verdades, The Man Who Couldn’t Tell a Lie is a Spanish folktale retold by Joe Hayes and illustrated by Joseph Daniel Fiedler. In this story Juan, a man known for his honesty, is tested by his employer with a prosperous ranch on the line. Seduced by the employer’s daughter (whom he had fallen in love with) into doing the wrong thing, Juan remains truthful and is rewarded greatly.
The story and illustrations take place in the American Southwest, a place with great Hispanic cultural heritage. The lush paintings skillfully capture the Hispanic culture and region from the Pueblo (adobe?) homes to the costumes and décor of the homes and the people.
In the author’s notes Hayes shows where he made changes from the original tale (namely the personality of the daughter). He also lists his sources for the tale, a collection of folktales from Spain by Aurelio Espinosa called Cuentos Populares Españoles, and a compilation of folktales from New Mexico by Juan Rael called Cuentos Españoles de Colorado y Nuevo México. He also notes that the story has been found in compilations on (of) Latin American folktales.
Joe Hayes has won numerous awards for his work. His familiarity with and love of Hispanic culture in addition to his skills in storytelling come through in Juan Verdades. The story is told very well and is filled with rich details and clever wording. The story is peppered with Spanish words that add to the authenticity of the work. A pronunciation dictionary is not provided, so non-native speakers might want to do some research before attempting to perform the tale out loud. Still the story is a great introduction to Hispanic culture and one with a good moral; that honesty and cleverness are virtues to aim for and will be rewarded.
The Bossy Gallito is a clever retelling of a popular Hispanic folktale by Lucía M. González. In this story, similar to the English nursery rhyme “The Old Woman and her Pig,” the rooster attempts to bully a series of animals into eventually cleaning his beak. A quick search on google.es for gallo kiriko, gallo quirico, or el gallo de boda, yields many retellings of this clever tale. Though the animals in the retellings may change (a sheep, dog, or worm instead of the ones used in González’s story) the general story is the same. It begins with Rooster on his way to his Uncle Parakeet’s wedding. He goes to eat a (bean, corn, etc) and gets his beak dirty. He then tries to make Grass clean his beak. Grass refuses. In The Bossy Gallito he then tells Goat to eat Grass, Stick to hit Goat, Fire to burn Stick, Water to quench Fire, then at the end asks Sun politely to dry up Water. The story is then turned around at which time all of the characters succumb to the Rooster’s wishes (Water quenches Fire, Fire burns stick, etc.) until the Rooster’s beak ends up clean. The lesson learned is that one should ask nicely to get what they want.
The story is a lot of fun and children should enjoy the repetitions. This is a bilingual text, both the English and the Spanish written by González. As the notes in the back emphasize, great detail went into the illustrations. The art is full of nuances that create a sense of Cuban authenticity, such as the birds playing dominos while wearing fedoras, the flamingos at the outdoor market, the palm trees and the street lights. The illustrator also notes that great care went into insuring (ensuring) the birds drawn in the work were native to the area. The illustrator, Lulu Delacre, took numerous photos of the Little Havana area of Miami to enhance the cultural authenticity of the art and based all of the illustrations on those images.
The author, Lucía M. González, is of Cuban origin and in her notes states this adaptation of the story is one that was told to her growing up and one that most Cuban children are familiar with. A storyteller, children’s librarian, and performer, González is also an award-winning author. In fact, The Bossy Rooster won the Pura Belpré Children’s Literature Honor Medal and was one of the New York Times top 20 All Time Favorite Children’s Book. This story is wonderfully authentic and a very enjoyable read for children and adults of all cultures.
Lois Ehlert retells the Mexican legend of the cuckoo bird in this colorful work aptly named Cuckoo. In this story vain Cuckoo, universally disliked for her lazy and narcissistic ways, shows she has a big heart and saves the day in the end. The lesson we learn is that one shouldn’t “judge a bird by its feathers.”
This English and Spanish bilingual text is very simple and easy for children to follow. The plot is very comprehensible and the lesson learned direct, making it a great tale for younger children. Ehlert’s collage illustrations are bright with an indigenous feel to them, very reminiscent of Mexico. On the book jacket Ehlert says the art was inspired by crafts and folk art from the country.
At the end of the book Ehlert notes that the story is originally a Mayan Indian tale. Her source comes from Latin American Tales from the Pampas to the Pyramids of Mexico by Genevieve Barlow. The English text in the book was translated into Spanish by Gloria de Aragón Andújar. Ehlert also offers thanks to many museums in the Wisconsin area that helped her gather research on Mexican folk art.
Though not of Hispanic origin Ehlert is an award winning author and illustrator who has done extensive research in order to create an authentic visual presence to go along with the retelling of this Mayan folktale. The Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP) at the University of Wisconsin Madison calls the illustrations “culturally authentic” and the story a “very well told folktale”. The story is engaging, the collage illustrations colorful, and overall this is an enjoyable book.
Pedro Fools the Gringo and Other Tales of a Latin American Trickster is a collection of tales starring the popular Hispanic folktale anti-hero Pedro the Trickster. After the author’s introduction it begins with the story “Clever Little Pedro” which tells of the origins of Pedro and gives some examples of his cleverness. It is full with (of) Latin American references as the story takes place in Mexico where Pedro comes under the care of a Priest who decides to give Pedro an education in exchange for being his servant. Spanish jokes, references to Mexican food, plants and even social and political culture can all be gleaned from this three-page tale. As with the other stories the chapter begins with a small illustration by Tona Wilson and has a full page pencil drawing of a scene from the story.
The stories are very short and very conducive to oral storytelling. They are easy to remember and have simple sentences. Those completely unfamiliar with the Spanish language may have to do some research on how to pronounce words such as “asado” and “ay”. The stories are also meant to be read in sequential order so some minor modification might be necessary if the storyteller wishes to choose an individual story from the collection to perform.
The illustrations, while expressive, don’t add much to the story. Given the fairly small size of the book it is unlikely the art was meant to add depth to a storytelling performance but was instead used to break up the chapters. Brusca is a skilled artist in her own right and may wish to re-release these stories as individual books with her own illustrations.
Maria Cristina Brusca was born and raised in Argentina. She is the author and illustrator of numerous works. She has coauthored other works with Tona Wilson, who is an ESL teacher and the illustrator for this book. For Pedro Fools the Gringo Brusca consulted many sources and has listed the origins of each folktale and her bibliography at the end of the book. In the introduction she notes that Pedro appears in numerous Hispanic countries and shows the commonalities the stories share: Pedro tricks the wealthy and powerful (being Priests, Landowners or Gringos in the case of the Latin American tales), political leaders are mocked, etc. In this collection she compiled Pedro tales from various countries not limited to Mexico, Argentina, Guatemala and Spain. Similar to other trickster tales, Pedro uses his cleverness to get over on others. However in these stories Pedro is very much the hero as those he tricks are often corrupt and dishonest.
“La Cucarachita Martínez y Ratón Perez” is a story common throughout Latin America; a simple search in google.es will yield many retellings. In the folktale a beautiful cockroach challenges many suitors before deciding to marry a humble mouse. At the end of the traditional folktale the mouse falls into a pot and dies, leaving the cockroach sad for the remainder of her life; and this is why cockroaches cry.
In Carmen Agra Deedy’s retelling of the tale, Martina the Beautiful Cockroach, the charm of the traditional tale is kept and the story rendered more humorous and uplifting. The story is beautifully done with clever and fun repetition, a lively Cuban grandmother, and a much better reason for why cockroaches go “ti-ki-tin, ti-ki, tan.”
The art by Michael Austin is absolutely stunning; flowers, buildings and costumes provide a lush sense of old Cuba. The characters’ expressions and actions are drawn so fluidly one cannot help but to become utterly engrossed, laughing along even as we feel poor Martina’s angst. Peppered with Spanish names, phrases and animal sounds, the story feels very authentic as Martina is anthropomorphized; small details here and there give the sense that she is a very real Cuban girl. There are many lessons in this story that are important to Hispanic culture such as listening to your elders, the importance of kindness over beauty, and substance over style and flash.
Born in Havana Cuba, Carmen Agra Deedy is a renowned winning author of numerous children’s books. An award winning storyteller, she appeared often on NPR radio discussing her live (life) growing up Cuban in the United States. Her love of Cuba shines throughout this story, imbuing the story with an undeniable Cuban authenticity.
Tales our Abuelitas Told is a collection of Hispanic folktales retold by F. Isabel Campoy and Alma Flor Ada. Stories include “The Bird of One Thousand Colors”, a colorful tale about the origins of the Peacock, and many others. After each tale both Ada and Campoy provide notes on the origins and source of the tales, though many of them are as stated “tales their grandmothers’ told” and as such are just part of a larger Hispanic oral tradition.
The stories in the book are simply told with a lot of expressive detail. They are short and easy for early readers to follow and also lend themselves very well to being spoken out loud. Each story is accompanied by beautiful colorful artwork created by one of four illustrators. The styles of the art vary giving each story a special touch. The artists are all of Hispanic origin and their appreciation to their culture shows in the illustrations.
Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy are also of Hispanic origin. Ada grew up in Cuba amongst a family of storytellers. She has done extensive work in the fields of social justice, Hispanic studies and bilingual education as a Professor of the University of San Francisco, a Radcliffe Scholar at Harvard, and a Fulbright Scholar. Tales Our Abuelitas Told is one many books on Hispanic folktales that she has authored.
F. Isabel Campoy is also a renowned scholar on Hispanic culture. Originally from Spain she later did post graduate work at Reading University in England and at UCLA in the United States after completing her degree at the Universidad Complutense in Madrid, Spain. She has authorized (authored) numerous children’s books in addition to scholarly texts.
This work takes extreme care to maintain a level of authenticity, despite being written in English. The authors offer traditional Spanish phrases used in storytelling to begin and end a story, such as “había una vez, or “once upon a time” and “y el cuento se acabó; cuando lo vuelva a encontrar, lo volveré a contar” or “and so the story ends; if I find the words that rhyme, I will tell it one more time”. The characters names and the locations of the stories are all part of the Hispanic diaspora, and Spanish words and phrases are peppered throughout the stories such as “buenas tardes” or “Señor Gato”. There is just enough to keep the cultural authenticity without making it difficult for non-native Spanish storyteller to recount. For those who would like to tell these stories in Spanish there is also a Spanish language edition called Cuentos que Contaban Nuestras Abuelas $12.99 ISBN 978-1416939658.
“1997 Américas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature.” Center for Latin and Caribbean Studies. University of Wisconsin-Madison. N.d. Web. 6 April 2013. <http://www4.uwm.edu/clacs/aa/list/amer97.cfm>
“About Alma Flor Ada.” Alma Flor Ada. N.d. Web. 6 April 2013. <http://almaflorada.com/about/>.
“About Isabel Campoy.” Isabel Campoy. N.d. Web. 6 April 2013. <http://isabelcampoy.com/about>.
Bierhorst, John. Latin American Folktales: Stories from Hispanic and Indian Traditions. New York: Pantheon Books, 2002. Print.
“Bio.” Carmen Agra Deedy. N.d. Web. 6 April 2013. <http://carmenagradeedy.com/about/>
Ennis, Sharon, Merarys Ríos-Vargas and Nora Albert. The Hispanic Population: 2010. US Census Bureau, May 2011. Web 3 Apr. 2013. <http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-04.pdf>
“Lucia Gonzales.” In Other Words. Deseño Web. N.d. Web. 6 April 2013. <http://luciagonzalezbooks.com/author/index.php>
“Maria Cristina Brusca Artist Bio.” Gallery Driver. N.d. Web. 6 April 2013. <http://gallerydriver.com/index.cfm?method=Artist.Bio&artistID=BF8865B8-93D7-8DA1-D15BF33943A73DB5&GalleryID=AC44DDF4-3048-28EB-92E291E1E9A3758D>.
Works Consulted
Buckley, Barbara. "Juan Verdades: The Man Who Couldn't Tell a Lie." School Library Journal 47.12 (2001): 122-3. ProQuest.Web. 1 Apr. 2013.
Del Negro, Janice. "Martina the Beautiful Cockroach." The Booklist 104.3 (2007): 61-2. ProQuest. Web. 6 Apr. 2013.
Devereaux, Elizabeth, and Diane Roback. "Cuckoo/Cucu." Publishers Weekly 244.3 (1997): 401-. ProQuest. Web. 6 Apr. 2013.
"Folklore - Pedro Fools the Gringo and Other Tales of a Latin." The Horn Book Magazine 72.1 (1996): 80-. ProQuest. Web. 1 Apr. 2013.
"Folklore - the Bossy Gallito: A Traditional Cuban Folk Tale." The Horn Book Magazine 70.5 (1994): 602-. ProQuest. Web. 6 Apr. 2013.
Knoth, Maeve Visser. “Folklore -- Pedro Fools the Gringo and Other Tales of a Latin American Trickster.” The Horn Book Magazine 72, (1): 80-80, ProQuest. Web. 1 April 2013.
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